"Ramiz Raja wants us to play aggressive cricket" : Shadab Khan

[OMB]

Ramiz, who has recently become member of the Board of Governors (BoG) of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) called the national team to the High Performance Centre at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Tuesday for an agenda-setting talk. The former skipper has yet be officially elected the PCB chairman.


“In the meeting with us he [Ramiz] said he wants us to exhibit aggression and for that we’ll have to develop a culture,” Shadab told media in a virtual press conference from Rawalpindi.

The national team will play a three-match ODI and five-match T20I series against New Zealand, who are touring Pakistan after 18 years. The ODIs are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League and will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 17, 19 and 21 September, while Gaddafi Stadium will host the T20Is from 25 September to 3 October.

“He [Ramiz] has been doing commentary since long and fully understands the modern day cricket. He has given us the confidence.

“Aggression is in our DNA, hence we’ll now be trying to be more aggressive. Initially, we may face somewhat failure bit if we’ll continue this culture we’ll get results in the future.”

To a question about his personal performance, he admitted that it had witnessed a decline but said that was mainly due to the injuries he suffered during the course of the time. “Before World Cup [2019] I suffered from hepatitis and then sustained injuries that affected my performance.
“But I’ll not make that an excuse. I’ll be trying to become successful as I was at the outset of my career,” he added.

He said he had spent one month in the academy with his coaches, trying to improve his bowling and batting skills. He said he was fully fit now and striving to bowl longer spells besides staying at the crease for long duration while batting. “As I play as an allrounder I wish to deliver where the need arises and help my team win.”

To a question about head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis’ decision’s to retire from their roles ahead of crucial T20 World Cup, he said he would not comment on that it was their personal decision. However, he admitted that it was not an ideal situation for the team. “But we’ll try to make the best possible use of our available resources. Our aim is to win and we’ll keep on striving for that without ifs and buts.”

He said since the time Babar Azam had become captain, he had also tried to give confidence to the players.

Talking about Kane Williamson and some other senior Black Caps players who are excluded from the visiting side, he said it would have been better had they been part of the team as their fans in Pakistan would miss them. “But still the visiting team have eight to nine players who regularly play white ball cricket, hence, I’m hoping some really competitive cricket.

He said he was confident that Pakistan’s spin bowling department was strong enough to pose challenge to any batting lineup. The arrival of Saqlain Mushtaq, he said as interim coach would also be beneficial for the spinners as the team had been without a spin bowling coach for quite some time.

“Our goal is to be among the top three team in all formats of the game. We’ll keep on working towards that goal. It’s a process but we as a team we are confident to eventually get there.”

https://www.app.com.pk/sports/ramiz-wants-us-to-play-aggressive-cricket-shadab-khan/

 

[OMB]

Good to see a positive intent. No point in setting the bar low.

 

[Sycamore]

Well that is a complete u-turn from the likes of Misbah.

I still remember a post match interview of his years later, it was after a test match in UAE. He was asked by the interviewer if Pakistan should have gone aggressive in the last 2 days to force a result,

his answer : " No my motto is always go for the draw first, and when that is secure then you can try and go for the win "

Just left me gobsmacked why bother playing the game if you aren't going to win a drawn game or series, compare this to the likes of Kohli and Williamson.

 

[topspin]

I took a dislike to Ramiz as a commentator simply because he has regressed since the 2010s. He was actually very good during the 2000s when he was focused on cricket rather than being the class clown. I hope he stays away from the comm. box due to the numerous brain fades with words I used to hear from him whilst he was on air.

Having said that, he has always had the right mindset for taking Pakistan cricket forward as opposed to Misbah's overly defensive/play to not lose mentality.

I remember during a particular match (think it was during a WI tour), Ramiz and Waqar where talking about Azhar Ali's career in white ball cricket. I think this was just after he had announced his ODI retirement.

Waqar Younis mentioned "I don't know why why Azhar Ali was dropped in the first place". Ramiz was taken back by this comment and responded to him saying something along the lines of "Waqar, how are Pakistan going to win matches with such a defensive approach".

Misbah also has the same mindset, so it comes to no surprise that Ramiz did not approve of their presence.

Ramiz Raja isn't a cricketing genius, he just had enough common sense (like nearly all individuals on this forum) to realise that the Misbah/Waqar duo were doing nothing but harming Pakistan cricket and it needed to be stopped immediately.

 

[OMB]

Well that is a complete u-turn from the likes of Misbah.

I still remember a post match interview of his years later, it was after a test match in UAE. He was asked by the interviewer if Pakistan should have gone aggressive in the last 2 days to force a result,

his answer : " No my motto is always go for the draw first, and when that is secure then you can try and go for the win "

Just left me gobsmacked why bother playing the game if you aren't going to win a drawn game or series, compare this to the likes of Kohli and Williamson.

Exactly. You aim for a draw only when there is no hope for victory and a loss is staring at you.

 

[Junaids]

It’s such a shame that Shadab never met Rameez’s brother Wasim Raja.

He was a true role model: he played his cricket aggressively but in a sporting way, and he was the all-rounder that Shadab can be.

 

[Savak]

Talk is cheap, walking the talk is what matters

 

[AAli98]

It’s all well saying aggressive cricket etc.. but when you front up with the likes of Imam Abbas etc it goes down pretty quickly from there!!

 

[UzmanBeast]

Shadab is young, he has time to hone his skills.

He needs more 4 day cricket.

 

[Major]

He had hepititis??? Damn, that is bad. How he got that? Feel bad for him as hepitits does have an effect on you

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

Talk is cheap, walking the talk is what matters

Precisely. “Be aggressive”. This is a platitude.

Like telling students to “show more intelligence” or artists to “be more creative”.

I’m sure Ramiz knows that. This is just Shadab interpreting what he said.

As for the fans, it needs to be emphasised that
be “aggressive” is no substitute for work ethic, discipline, talent and determination to back it up.

Since the time I have been watching Indian cricket from the early 80s, we Indian fans would get heartburn because our team was “meek”, “not aggressive”, showed “submissive body language”. This self critique kept happening for decades - until we got the pace bowling firepower to combine with out core batting strength. Suddenly over the past 5-10 years I see fewer demands to be aggressive - because we don’t need platitudes any more.

 

[Titan24]

Its been almost a decade or maybe more since the brand of cricket Ramiz is referring to slowly moved out of the system. I personally think the biggest turning points of Pak cricket causing the absence of its usual flare (We can debate about talent but, I am referring to the approach of the system here) were 2009 and 2010 due to two unfortunate incidents year after another. Pak cricket had to take a backfoot and sorting the image and things out were the priorities, Aus cricket faced that with Smith, Warner incident but, at a much much smaller scale and they are still recovering from that I guess. I created the thread highlighting the same from Pak cricket perspective last year (http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...-from-the-flames-of-the-2010-spot-fixing-saga)

The kind of cricket Ramiz, other ex players and fans want to see wont just suddenly appear out of nowhere. It will all be dependent upon how the players, management take it, the whole structure including the domestic setup adapts, finding the right talent for that approach, work on their game accordingly, execution and after sometime we can see some results. As you cant just change a decade or so long mindset by just asking players to play aggressively but, its definitely a good starting point to send a message.

 

[IMMY69]

Aggressive cricket on UAE tracks, especially the games played between 2010 and 2020, was nigh on impossible.

Its easy to say play aggressive cricket but you put England's ODI line up on the slow turner and they will struggle to make 250 (CT 2017 Semi).

Our cricket has partly been left behind due to playing constantly in UAE and a substandard first class system.

 

[Mamoon]

Rich coming from a joke of a player who has a batting SR of 71 in ODI cricket.

Shadab represents everything that is wrong with Pakistan cricket - he is a nothing player in every sense of the word and should be nowhere near the team in any format.

He has no ability with either bat or ball, but for some reason, he has been promoted as Pakistan’s star all-rounder.

Before you learn to play aggressive cricket, you have to be good enough to play cricket, and Shadab is clearly not good enough to be playing international cricket.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Rich coming from a joke of a player who has a batting SR of 71 in ODI cricket.

Shadab represents everything that is wrong with Pakistan cricket - he is a nothing player in every sense of the word and should be nowhere near the team in any format.

He has no ability with either bat or ball, but for some reason, he has been promoted as Pakistan’s star all-rounder.

Before you learn to play aggressive cricket, you have to be good enough to play cricket, and Shadab is clearly not good enough to be playing international cricket.

Wait, so a bowling all rounder with a SR of 70 is a joke of a player but according to you, an opener with SR of 80 in ODI’s (SR 76 vs top 5) is the best opener for Pakistan?

Make it make sense.

 

[IMMY69]

Rich coming from a joke of a player who has a batting SR of 71 in ODI cricket.

Shadab represents everything that is wrong with Pakistan cricket - he is a nothing player in every sense of the word and should be nowhere near the team in any format.

He has no ability with either bat or ball, but for some reason, he has been promoted as Pakistan’s star all-rounder.

Before you learn to play aggressive cricket, you have to be good enough to play cricket, and Shadab is clearly not good enough to be playing international cricket.

Are you applying the same logic when you say Arteta will be the next coming of Pep?

 

[Rana]

I guess they are going to play aggressive cricket now because that’s what Ramiz wants them to do?

 

[shamaan]

It's all well saying you will play with a aggressive and positive but it comes from the domestic scene and the coaches.

 

[srh]

Ramiz, who has recently become member of the Board of Governors (BoG) of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) called the national team to the High Performance Centre at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Tuesday for an agenda-setting talk. The former skipper has yet be officially elected the PCB chairman.


“In the meeting with us he [Ramiz] said he wants us to exhibit aggression and for that we’ll have to develop a culture,” Shadab told media in a virtual press conference from Rawalpindi.

The national team will play a three-match ODI and five-match T20I series against New Zealand, who are touring Pakistan after 18 years. The ODIs are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League and will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 17, 19 and 21 September, while Gaddafi Stadium will host the T20Is from 25 September to 3 October.

“He [Ramiz] has been doing commentary since long and fully understands the modern day cricket. He has given us the confidence.

“Aggression is in our DNA, hence we’ll now be trying to be more aggressive. Initially, we may face somewhat failure bit if we’ll continue this culture we’ll get results in the future.”

To a question about his personal performance, he admitted that it had witnessed a decline but said that was mainly due to the injuries he suffered during the course of the time. “Before World Cup [2019] I suffered from hepatitis and then sustained injuries that affected my performance.
“But I’ll not make that an excuse. I’ll be trying to become successful as I was at the outset of my career,” he added.

He said he had spent one month in the academy with his coaches, trying to improve his bowling and batting skills. He said he was fully fit now and striving to bowl longer spells besides staying at the crease for long duration while batting. “As I play as an allrounder I wish to deliver where the need arises and help my team win.”

To a question about head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis’ decision’s to retire from their roles ahead of crucial T20 World Cup, he said he would not comment on that it was their personal decision. However, he admitted that it was not an ideal situation for the team. “But we’ll try to make the best possible use of our available resources. Our aim is to win and we’ll keep on striving for that without ifs and buts.”

He said since the time Babar Azam had become captain, he had also tried to give confidence to the players.

Talking about Kane Williamson and some other senior Black Caps players who are excluded from the visiting side, he said it would have been better had they been part of the team as their fans in Pakistan would miss them. “But still the visiting team have eight to nine players who regularly play white ball cricket, hence, I’m hoping some really competitive cricket.

He said he was confident that Pakistan’s spin bowling department was strong enough to pose challenge to any batting lineup. The arrival of Saqlain Mushtaq, he said as interim coach would also be beneficial for the spinners as the team had been without a spin bowling coach for quite some time.

“Our goal is to be among the top three team in all formats of the game. We’ll keep on working towards that goal. It’s a process but we as a team we are confident to eventually get there.”

https://www.app.com.pk/sports/ramiz-wants-us-to-play-aggressive-cricket-shadab-khan/

If you want to play aggressive cricket, then why did not select aggressive batsmen like Sharjeel and Fakhar?

 

[Rana]

If you want to play aggressive cricket, then why did not select aggressive batsmen like Sharjeel and Fakhar?

Because Rizwan and Babar are more aggressive

 

[Savak]

Are you applying the same logic when you say Arteta will be the next coming of Pep?

People should learn the art of pretending a poster does not exist and did not post in a thread and reading everything else otherwise they just feed into his attention seeking fetish

 

[shaz619]

That’s more like it all the woes will soon be fixed

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Aggressive? I thought that has been Pakistan's motto for the last 10 years.

Trouble is, Pakistan's aggressive mindset lasts about 5 overs before the intent is overtaken by lack of skills.

What Pakistan needs should come from the captain. If Captain knows how to translate aggression into a philosophy the team can follow, there is reward.

 

[ahmedzee]

Shadab needs to concentrate on his bowling, as it is below par compared to when he was new in international cricket. If he improves his bowling, the aggression in batting will automatically come. He is a bowler first, and that is his main job. Currently he doesn't even deserve selection in 15 due to his poor performances.

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan has no talent. All this talk about playing aggressive cricket etc. means nothing when the players are incapable.

There is only one brand of cricket that we can play and it is called mediocrity.

The reality is that if both Pakistan and the opposition bring their A game, the opposition will always prevail.

By opposition, I am referring to India, Australia, England and New Zealand.

It is best that we recognize that we are a tier-2 side like West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and manage our expectations.

 

[msb314]

Wait, so a bowling all rounder with a SR of 70 is a joke of a player but according to you, an opener with SR of 80 in ODI’s (SR 76 vs top 5) is the best opener for Pakistan?

Make it make sense.

Mamoon loves to make his own sense. He is the king of Mamoon sense

Imam is an opener whilst Shadab bats at 7.

Imam averages 51 in ODI’s whilst Shadab averages 15

 

[Rajdeep]

Aggression is something that is inbuild and comes from within. If a player is humble or meek, you cant force them to become aggressive. Shadab is saying aggression is in our DNA but then why Ramiz Raja had to tell for it to be shown? If it is in DNA....it should come naturally.

 

[shortbread]

Perspectives of aggression can be different.

A batsmen getting bowled trying to hoick or skying one up into the air OR a bowler leaking runs, being erratic in an attempt to unsettle batsmen....might be someone's idea of aggression.

Stealing singles and continuous rotation of strike, maximising bad balls, bowling to a plan backed by a strong fielding effort can also be a form of aggression.

It's important the management explains what is it they want from each player and the team steps into the tournament having total clarity of thought.

 

[Saj]

Keep hearing about this aggression, no fear attitude.

Rarely see it though.

 

[Rana]

Keep hearing about this aggression, no fear attitude.

Rarely see it though.

Look at how Fakhar Zaman has been rewarded for his no fear attitude towards the game

 

[Savak]

Pakistan has no talent. All this talk about playing aggressive cricket etc. means nothing when the players are incapable.

There is only one brand of cricket that we can play and it is called mediocrity.

The reality is that if both Pakistan and the opposition bring their A game, the opposition will always prevail.

By opposition, I am referring to India, Australia, England and New Zealand.

It is best that we recognize that we are a tier-2 side like West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and manage our expectations.

Nope, you always strive for excellence. Attitude, work ethic and hunger to learn, improve your game triumps Natural Ability. Look at Umar Akmal and Mohd Amir as examples. Less talented players than them have achieved far more in the game.

 

[Saj]

I think the players are taught to say these kind of buzz words and statements, without really truly believing that they are capable of this brand of cricket.

Sadly it makes them look even more silly when they fail.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Aggression is something that is inbuild and comes from within. If a player is humble or meek, you cant force them to become aggressive. Shadab is saying aggression is in our DNA but then why Ramiz Raja had to tell for it to be shown? If it is in DNA....it should come naturally.

Lack of common sense.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Imam is an opener whilst Shadab bats at 7.

Imam averages 51 in ODI’s whilst Shadab averages 15

Imam averages 39 vs top 5 and a strike rate of 76. Let’s not include minnows when using stats.

Shadab isn’t a batsman, he’s a bowling all rounder. He can average 20-30 with bat as long as he’s doing well as a bowler.

Imam is a batsman, his only contribution to the team comes with the bat.

 

[topspin]

Nope, you always strive for excellence. Attitude, work ethic and hunger to learn, improve your game triumps Natural Ability. Look at Umar Akmal and Mohd Amir as examples. Less talented players than them have achieved far more in the game.

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] Also to add to Savak’s post, look at Mike Hussey. He made a career purely out of hard work. Wasn’t the most gifted batsman but he was menacing player all because of sheer hard work and mental toughness.

 

[Savak]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] Also to add to Savak’s post, look at Mike Hussey. He made a career purely out of hard work. Wasn’t the most gifted batsman but he was menacing player all because of sheer hard work and mental toughness.

Imran Khan is a classic example. The guy was dismissed mocked for the first 6-8 years of his career by both the Pakistani System and County System but he had the self belief along with the work ethic to complement it

 

[topspin]

Imran Khan is a classic example. The guy was dismissed mocked for the first 6-8 years of his career by both the Pakistani System and County System but he had the self belief along with the work ethic to complement it

Probably the best example of all.

 

[Mainul]

Rich coming from a joke of a player who has a batting SR of 71 in ODI cricket.

Shadab represents everything that is wrong with Pakistan cricket - he is a nothing player in every sense of the word and should be nowhere near the team in any format.

He has no ability with either bat or ball, but for some reason, he has been promoted as Pakistan’s star all-rounder.

Before you learn to play aggressive cricket, you have to be good enough to play cricket, and Shadab is clearly not good enough to be playing international cricket.

Shadab is going to be another Asad Shafiq of Pakistan cricket. After investing a lot of matches without benefit , the selectors will suddenly come into a conclusion that "oh no, he is not worthy to be selected".

Pakistan has tried such kind of bits and pieces cricketer as all rounders in the past. . I know, Pakistan is pretending to replace Afridi with Shadab .But it it will be an insult to the word mediocre if anybody use that word besides Shadab. Shadaab is a nothing cricketer. At best a club level cricketer. While Afridi was a good leg spinner who could play an aggressive innings here and there which sometimes could influence the outcome of a match.

 

[Mamoon]

Nope, you always strive for excellence. Attitude, work ethic and hunger to learn, improve your game triumps Natural Ability. Look at Umar Akmal and Mohd Amir as examples. Less talented players than them have achieved far more in the game.

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] Also to add to Savak’s post, look at Mike Hussey. He made a career purely out of hard work. Wasn’t the most gifted batsman but he was menacing player all because of sheer hard work and mental toughness.

Imran Khan is a classic example. The guy was dismissed mocked for the first 6-8 years of his career by both the Pakistani System and County System but he had the self belief along with the work ethic to complement it

You cannot excel at the highest level in any sport unless you have an abundance of natural talent.

Hard work complements talent; it cannot substitute for it.

A talented player who doesn’t work hard will obviously not excel, but neither would a hard working player who doesn’t have talent.

People always give Imran’s example and how he worked hard to become a great player. Sure he did, but the hard work that he did unlocked the talent that he had.

A person with no talent can work twice as hard as Imran. It doesn’t mean that he will become a great player.

If you don’t have the ability, you can work your backside off but you will not see the results that a naturally talented player with hard work will.

Most Pakistani players are just not good enough to be world class. They don’t have it in them no matter how hard they work.

 

[imranq]

heard that for the millionth time. any new admin that comes in wants the team to play aggressive

 

[Savak]

You cannot excel at the highest level in any sport unless you have an abundance of natural talent.

Hard work complements talent; it cannot substitute for it.

A talented player who doesn’t work hard will obviously not excel, but neither would a hard working player who doesn’t have talent.

People always give Imran’s example and how he worked hard to become a great player. Sure he did, but the hard work that he did unlocked the talent that he had.

A person with no talent can work twice as hard as Imran. It doesn’t mean that he will become a great player.

If you don’t have the ability, you can work your backside off but you will not see the results that a naturally talented player with hard work will.

Most Pakistani players are just not good enough to be world class. They don’t have it in them no matter how hard they work.

You can learn develop improve your skills with hard work even if you are not born with it.

 

[Rauf's_Lungs]

Pakistan has no talent. All this talk about playing aggressive cricket etc. means nothing when the players are incapable.

There is only one brand of cricket that we can play and it is called mediocrity.

The reality is that if both Pakistan and the opposition bring their A game, the opposition will always prevail.

By opposition, I am referring to India, Australia, England and New Zealand.

It is best that we recognize that we are a tier-2 side like West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and manage our expectations.

What changed? you used to say we were below even those second tier teams. Dare I say it, but do you think we've improved? Scandalous.

 

[Ami]

I think the biggest problem we have is, that I'm not truly convinced that our players know what the word "aggressive" means in the cricketing sense.

Lets ask Shadab ...what it means?

Blindly hitting out or going for leg side hoicks ...would probably be their definition or conceding a 4 off the last ball going for a 'hollywood ball'.

 

[Usman]

You cannot excel at the highest level in any sport unless you have an abundance of natural talent.

Hard work complements talent; it cannot substitute for it.

A talented player who doesn’t work hard will obviously not excel, but neither would a hard working player who doesn’t have talent.

People always give Imran’s example and how he worked hard to become a great player. Sure he did, but the hard work that he did unlocked the talent that he had.

A person with no talent can work twice as hard as Imran. It doesn’t mean that he will become a great player.

If you don’t have the ability, you can work your backside off but you will not see the results that a naturally talented player with hard work will.

Most Pakistani players are just not good enough to be world class. They don’t have it in them no matter how hard they work.

Agree with this. A player like Asif Ali could put in all the effort in the world, but he will never succeed (apart from a one off knock once in 30-40 innings) because he doesn't have the talent. It's not his fault, it's the fault of the people selecting him. The same is the case in respect of Azam Khan.

What really irritates me is that in our limited talent pool, our joke of a selection committee selects the worst players. I don't care what anyone says, but Fakhar Zaman is talented. Nobody scores a double century in ODI cricket without talent. Nobody wins the Champions Trophy singlehandedly without talent. And yet in his place we have total jokers selected. It beggars belief.

I would say the same about Sharjeel Khan, albeit he is clearly less talented than Fakhar. Nobody is saying Sharjeel is Don Bradman, but in comparison to Asif Ali and Azam Khan, he might as well be!

On the issue of aggression, there's again no point saying that to guys like Asif and Azam Khan. They can't play full stop. Telling them to be aggressive will have ZERO impact on their output. They will always fail.

 

[Ami]

By the way, every sane Pakistani poster on this forum knows that we are a mediocre team and have been for quite some time ... why keep bringing the point up in every conversation when no one is debating?

A fresh approach is needed in some poster's thinking pattern.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

He talks way too much without much substance.
One of ladla's of Mickey Arthur. His performance has only been dipping since late 2018.
Needs to stay away from giving statements and let the performances show.

 

[Hawkeye]

Ramiz:
"I want aGgRessiOn!!!"

Also Ramiz:
"Drop Fakhar, Drop Sharjeel, Drop Iftikhar!!!!"

The guy who actually wanted these guys, Misbah, didn't get his team. Rightfully resigned.

Enough of this hollow talk. Complete drivel. Reminds of of Mickey Arthur, who made us lose vs. every decent opposition, even at home in Tests.

 

[GreenKhan]

Look at how Fakhar Zaman has been rewarded for his no fear attitude towards the game

I am a big Fakhar fan , but his t20 form really deserted him for a while . I think he averaged 12 over a period of about 20 games .

However in the South Africa t20 series he found his mojo , and was looking settled at no 3. Which is not a bad position for him , especially if a wicket falls early .

From no 3 they moved him to no 5 in the England series where he did ok. His 26 of 8 balls in the only game we won in England was crucial to get us past 200.

He then finds himself out the initial 15. He is a selfless player who plays for the team , and I have not seen a single iota of moaning from him, he just gets on with it .
A true team player .

Hopefully sooner rather than later Fakhar can find his place back in the top 3 . As I don’t have much hope from the other players selected , especially when it comes to big tournaments and a big occasion . Which Fakhar usually thrives in .

 

[dildilpak]

Ramiz:
"I want aGgRessiOn!!!"

Also Ramiz:
"Drop Fakhar, Drop Sharjeel, Drop Iftikhar!!!!"

The guy who actually wanted these guys, Misbah, didn't get his team. Rightfully resigned.

Enough of this hollow talk. Complete drivel. Reminds of of Mickey Arthur, who made us lose vs. every decent opposition, even at home in Tests.

This! Its hilarious how Ramiz can demand aggression & then drop all the ‘aggressive’ players. Probably too dumb to understand the irony.

 

[Advaith]

Aggressive cricket needs a talented team aiming for highest glory ..Aggression without required skillset often ends with disastrous outcome..

 

[Zaz]

Norhings going to change by throwing buzz words around They mean nothing

The domestic system and the players mindset growing up needs to be developed and changed and that will take a lot of intelligent people making gooddecisions with money and hard work Its not something that will happen by just using big words It needs to be worked upon and will take years

 

[wrongun]

Pakistan has no talent. All this talk about playing aggressive cricket etc. means nothing when the players are incapable.

There is only one brand of cricket that we can play and it is called mediocrity.

The reality is that if both Pakistan and the opposition bring their A game, the opposition will always prevail.

By opposition, I am referring to India, Australia, England and New Zealand.

It is best that we recognize that we are a tier-2 side like West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and manage our expectations.

I don't think Pakistan should settle for that. 10 years ago NZ would have been in your tier 2 bracket and never the top one. They have limited player pool but restructured their methods, started working to a clear national plan and pathway and rose to the top.

Before their decline you could argue SL went on a similar journey during the 90s/early 2000s. But they didn't sustain it.

Pakistan is slowly improving it's FC set up/format and monetary situation (though home matches and PSL), next pitches/stadiums & programs/facilities. There is a road to the top if someone charts the course.

 

[wajid]

Well one should ask Shadab and RR that what they mean by aggression? It surely is not tullay bazi and random fast chucking? Unless you have consistent sedate rational players in the mix, the team might not be able to harness and temper aggression to result in victories.

 

[msb314]

Imam averages 39 vs top 5 and a strike rate of 76. Let’s not include minnows when using stats.

Shadab isn’t a batsman, he’s a bowling all rounder. He can average 20-30 with bat as long as he’s doing well as a bowler.

Imam is a batsman, his only contribution to the team comes with the bat.

I believe the issue is that a SR of 71 is unacceptable for a “bowling all-rounder” batting at no. 7

 

[OMB]

Shasan khan did not say “be aggressive”. Ramiz did.

What is wrong in showing positive intent? This is what everyone on PP wants Pakistan team to be , be aggressive.
So why deride and derail the thought process?

 

[Junaids]

A lot of rubbish is written to attack Shadab Khan, so let's actually introduce a few fun facts.

1. Shadab Khan was the best leg-spinner at the 2019 World Cup. He outperformed Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid and Imran Tahir.

2. Since Easter 2018, here are the comparative Test records of Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan:
BOWLING
Yasir Shah: 70 wickets at 34.95
Shadab Khan: 13 wickets at 28.30

BATTING
Yasir Shah: 402 runs at 14.18
Shadab Khan: 283 runs at 40.42

There is actually very little wrong with Shadab Khan. He is a world class Test all-rounder.

 

[Rajdeep]

A lot of rubbish is written to attack Shadab Khan, so let's actually introduce a few fun facts.

1. Shadab Khan was the best leg-spinner at the 2019 World Cup. He outperformed Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid and Imran Tahir.

2. Since Easter 2018, here are the comparative Test records of Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan:
BOWLING
Yasir Shah: 70 wickets at 34.95
Shadab Khan: 13 wickets at 28.30

BATTING
Yasir Shah: 402 runs at 14.18
Shadab Khan: 283 runs at 40.42

There is actually very little wrong with Shadab Khan. He is a world class Test all-rounder.

Not correct. Both Chahal and Adil Rashid were better than Shadab in 2019 WC.

Chahal - 12 wickets
Rashid - 11 wickets
Shadab - 9 wickets

 

[Abdurmirr]

A lot of rubbish is written to attack Shadab Khan, so let's actually introduce a few fun facts.

1. Shadab Khan was the best leg-spinner at the 2019 World Cup. He outperformed Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid and Imran Tahir.

2. Since Easter 2018, here are the comparative Test records of Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan:
BOWLING
Yasir Shah: 70 wickets at 34.95
Shadab Khan: 13 wickets at 28.30

BATTING
Yasir Shah: 402 runs at 14.18
Shadab Khan: 283 runs at 40.42

There is actually very little wrong with Shadab Khan. He is a world class Test all-rounder.

Here are a few more fun facts about this "world class all allrounder"

1. Since 2019, the ball he has been averaging 46 in ODI cricket and 38 in T20Is

2. During the same period his average with the bat has been 19.50 with a sr of 75 in ODIs and 15.55 at 127.77 in T20Is

3. In this years PSL he averaged 10.44 while batting at 3 in an attempt to emulate Steve Smith's transformation from bowling allrounder to top order batsmen, simultaneously averaging 36 with the ball

4. He was also part of the test team that allowed for Jos Butler and Chris Woakes to steal an easy win from us. Shahdab himself contributing zero wickets in that innings and providing both batsmen with simple runs

All these stats really don't sound like the hall mark of a world class test all-rounder, even for our standards I do feel we can find someone better

 

[FreePalestine]

Platitudes are Rambo’s bread and butter, my friend! He serves them up with ‘panache’ and ‘style’. It is the key to his youthful good looks and shiny locks as he tries not to tax his brain too much when he speaks.

Precisely. “Be aggressive”. This is a platitude.

Like telling students to “show more intelligence” or artists to “be more creative”.

I’m sure Ramiz knows that. This is just Shadab interpreting what he said.

As for the fans, it needs to be emphasised that
be “aggressive” is no substitute for work ethic, discipline, talent and determination to back it up.

Since the time I have been watching Indian cricket from the early 80s, we Indian fans would get heartburn because our team was “meek”, “not aggressive”, showed “submissive body language”. This self critique kept happening for decades - until we got the pace bowling firepower to combine with out core batting strength. Suddenly over the past 5-10 years I see fewer demands to be aggressive - because we don’t need platitudes any more.

 

[TheSultan]

The word “aggressive” can be interpreted differently.

I think the overall message should have been to play positive cricket. Do not fear failure - something which leads to a negative frame of mind.

To be fair, ramiz probably did give that message. You know why I know that? Not because ramiz is a genius or bringing something earth shattering. This is something so obvious - even an U12 cricketer could tell you that.

However, the proof is in the pudding. If ramiz wants to create this mindset, he should facilitate it by having consistency in selection, build a core team and group of players.

Currently every player just plays to stay in the team. That is their single goal in life. This is exactly why you see aZhar ali once a series abandon his stodgy style of play and play with a bit more freedom. Just to ensure that he doesn’t lose his place in the team for the next free holiday

 

[YousafTheBeast]

I believe the issue is that a SR of 71 is unacceptable for a “bowling all-rounder” batting at no. 7

A number 7 shouldn’t have a strike rate in the 70’s and an opener sure as hell shouldn’t have a strike rate in 70’s.

I just find it strange how one is called a joke of a player because of his SR but the other is called the best opener for Pakistan even though his SR is similar to the “joke of a player”.

 

[Junaids]

Not correct. Both Chahal and Adil Rashid were better than Shadab in 2019 WC.

Chahal - 12 wickets
Rashid - 11 wickets
Shadab - 9 wickets

Shadab averaged 35
Chahal averaged 37
Rashid averaged 48.

 

[Walawalkar]

Shadab averaged 35
Chahal averaged 37
Rashid averaged 48.

So you will prefer bowler taking 12 wickets with 37 average or 9 wickets with 35 average

 

[Mirpur express]

Always liked Shadab, didn’t know he had to overcome hepatitis, good luck dude , I am sure he will only get better still only 22

 

[shamaan]

A lot of rubbish is written to attack Shadab Khan, so let's actually introduce a few fun facts.

1. Shadab Khan was the best leg-spinner at the 2019 World Cup. He outperformed Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid and Imran Tahir.

2. Since Easter 2018, here are the comparative Test records of Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan:
BOWLING
Yasir Shah: 70 wickets at 34.95
Shadab Khan: 13 wickets at 28.30

BATTING
Yasir Shah: 402 runs at 14.18
Shadab Khan: 283 runs at 40.42

There is actually very little wrong with Shadab Khan. He is a world class Test all-rounder.

Shadab should be played in SENA as the lone spinner.

 

[shamaan]

So you will prefer bowler taking 12 wickets with 37 average or 9 wickets with 35 average

Would you prefer Rashid stats over shadab ?

 

[Baigel]

I’m sure Ramiz had the right intention but with the Pakistan team you just never really know how it’ll be implemented

I hope their form of ‘aggression’ is swinging blindly from ball 1.

 

[Mamoon]

Shadab averaged 35
Chahal averaged 37
Rashid averaged 48.

Rashid Khan is a million times better spinner than Shadab ever will be, so these stats - based on a single event - mean nothing.

 

[Hasan123]

Let's play good cricket before we talk about this aggressive cricket nonsense.

 

[Markhor]

Empty words and platitudes.

Please send this man back to the commentary box.

 

[Rana]

He wants you to play aggressive cricket but then is happy for Sharjeel to rot in Pakistan whilst Babar+Rizwan open in T20 cricket

 

[Saj]

We want to play aggressive cricket.

Thanks to the seniors.

The most overused words in Pakistan cricket for many years.

Some of these current guys wouldn't know what aggressive cricket is, even if it was staring them in the face.

 

[Forum363]

Rashid Khan is a million times better spinner than Shadab ever will be, so these stats - based on a single event - mean nothing.

Ironic that World Cup stats here mean nothing but Archers performance where he was the third best bowler or something meant he’s achieved everything possible in his career etc etc.

Archer was just lucky to be part of an ATG England team that had the luxury of ATG talent like Stokes and Roy.

 

[Savak]

We want to play aggressive cricket.

Thanks to the seniors.

The most overused words in Pakistan cricket for many years.

Some of these current guys wouldn't know what aggressive cricket is, even if it was staring them in the face.

Hard to do anything fearlessly if the number one priority as a player is to book your place in the team for the next game

 

[TheSultan]

We want to play aggressive cricket.

Thanks to the seniors.

The most overused words in Pakistan cricket for many years.

Some of these current guys wouldn't know what aggressive cricket is, even if it was staring them in the face.

Very true